Topic: Cat advice thread

[Crimson]

My little cat Millie is almost 7. She is an indoor cat - never been outside, never shown an interest - runs a mile at the door knocking even!

We have been having a problem with her in the last few months where she has been throwing up more fur balls than she would have done previously. Most of the time it is fur but sometimes it is food or with food. Otherwise, she is normal - doesn't hide away, cleans herself, eats normal, plays etc...

We keep her on the same diet - dry food is always available to her, we keep the bowl topped up and she has at least 1 wet pouch per day, sometimes 2 if she is really hungry. We stick to the same brand of food too - we are really consistent with what she eats and she would rarely have any human food, maybe some plain chicken if I have roasted one or a bit of white fish/tuna on occasion.

We had her at the vets just before new year for her yearly check up and vaccine and mentioned it to them. We couldn't really say how often it was, maybe it was once a week or maybe every couple of weeks but they weren't worried. Said she had lost maybe 0.2lbs or something like that since last year and she was otherwise healthy. To ease any concerns we had, they said to bring her back after 6 months for a checkup instead of 12 months and they would weigh her again. We asked if we should stop giving her so much food and they said not to.

Since that trip to the vet, I have been keeping tabs on her and she has been sick on 4 different days - twice today. Once was a fur ball this morning and the second time just an hour ago. I put out a pouch of wet food for her and she scoffed most of it and an hour later was sick - no fur, just food.

I think I will phone the vets today and have a chat with them but this doesn't feel normal. She was never sick this often. I will definitely phone them but just wondering if anyone has suffered something similar with their cat?

Does she finish the bowl and you keep refilling it throughout the day? Maybe she's overeating? Or maybe they changed the recipe and she's actually allergic to some of the new content(s).

I have an indoor cat as well. Turns 5 this March. He only gets dry food and some daily treats.

I noticed a change in behaviour once Covid hit with enforced WFH. Before WFH, he was mostly alone during the days. Then he would seemingly control his food intake throughout the day, as there was still some left in his bowl when we were returning from work. However, when WFH became the norm, he would finish the food a lot faster and we would refill it without thinking about it. Of course he gained some weight and we started a 60 gram per day regime. Now, he's a normal weight cat for his size and age. But still only get 60 gram of dry food per day.

[redbyrdz]

As a side note, why is cat food so shit? I feed sheba now as the wet food, and it has "meat and meat derivatives, of which 94% natural". What's the other 6% then? The 94% is actually a high percentage, I've seen as low as 36% "natural" on other packages. Isn't it enough that they have all the "meat derivatives" (ground up shite that was somehow part of the animal). I'm under no illusion that they get left-over crap, but why can't it just be ground up chicken or whatever?

Not to mention the "title ingredient" usually makes up just 4% of the content.

[Shanklygates]

As a side note, why is cat food so shit? I feed sheba now as the wet food, and it has "meat and meat derivatives, of which 94% natural". What's the other 6% then? The 94% is actually a high percentage, I've seen as low as 36% "natural" on other packages. Isn't it enough that they have all the "meat derivatives" (ground up shite that was somehow part of the animal). I'm under no illusion that they get left-over crap, but why can't it just be ground up chicken or whatever?

Not to mention the "title ingredient" usually makes up just 4% of the content.

Cereal quite often. I agree with you, somuch in sme brands is ground bone etc. Felix started making my three ill a few months ago so I switched to Sheba Fine Cuts in Jelly. Their coats improved within days, and their digestion, so better for me too

[I've been a good boy]

As a side note, why is cat food so shit? I feed sheba now as the wet food, and it has "meat and meat derivatives, of which 94% natural". What's the other 6% then? The 94% is actually a high percentage, I've seen as low as 36% "natural" on other packages. Isn't it enough that they have all the "meat derivatives" (ground up shite that was somehow part of the animal). I'm under no illusion that they get left-over crap, but why can't it just be ground up chicken or whatever?

Not to mention the "title ingredient" usually makes up just 4% of the content.

I find Wiskas is toxic, like I'm feeding my cat some processed puke. Found Sheba on offer today and he loves it. The texture looks better as well, unlike Wiskas which looks like bits of cardboard in jelly.

[Shanklygates]

I thought the same when I first bought it a few months ago. My cats really like it so far

[Sangria]

I thought the same when I first bought it a few months ago. My cars really like it so far

Unleaded or diesel Sheba?

[Shanklygates]

Unleaded or diesel Sheba?

Oops! The boys aren't fussy

[BarryCrocker]

Unleaded or diesel Sheba?

Bubbles, can you hear me?

[Drinks Sangria]

Has anyone got a House Cat they've had to leave in a Cattery before?

We are going on Holiday in a few weeks for 12 nights. We wanted to leave her with a family member or someone we knew well, but no one has been particularly forthcoming with helping, so we went and viewed a cattery that was recommended to us.

£12 a night, gets her own 'room' and fed as per a schedule we set and the lady who runs it seems to absolutely love cats. The cat is lovely, very affectionate and sociable in her own home with me and my partner. She can be skittish around new people and just hides if too many people come over our house. She's not great with her environment changing, so I'm a bit worried about her being affected long term by staying in a cattery she's never been to for the best part of two weeks.

We got her just before first lockdown so she never met another soul for 6 months or so and she has lived in two houses and was very sullen and withdrawn after we moved for a few months. Almost two years old.

Anyone had any experiences? She's so lovely we don't really want her to experience anything traumatic. I'm aware a lot of this sounds over the top but she's part of the family.

[duvva 💅]

Has anyone got a House Cat they've had to leave in a Cattery before?

We are going on Holiday in a few weeks for 12 nights. We wanted to leave her with a family member or someone we knew well, but no one has been particularly forthcoming with helping, so we went and viewed a cattery that was recommended to us.

£12 a night, gets her own 'room' and fed as per a schedule we set and the lady who runs it seems to absolutely love cats. The cat is lovely, very affectionate and sociable in her own home with me and my partner. She can be skittish around new people and just hides if too many people come over our house. She's not great with her environment changing, so I'm a bit worried about her being affected long term by staying in a cattery she's never been to for the best part of two weeks.

We got her just before first lockdown so she never met another soul for 6 months or so and she has lived in two houses and was very sullen and withdrawn after we moved for a few months. Almost two years old.

Anyone had any experiences? She's so lovely we don't really want her to experience anything traumatic. I'm aware a lot of this sounds over the top but she's part of the family.

You mentioned about no one family/friend wise being able to help, was that in terms of taking them in or house sitting? Wasn’t sure if you’d considered having someone house sit? That’s what we do with our current cat, he’s not a house cat but gets very stressed by any journey and didn’t enjoy staying away so now my mum house sits whenever we’re away. I know sometimes people can be more amenable to house sitting then having to take a cat into their own home.
Ultimately staying in a cattery isn’t a pleasant experience for some cats, some really do t seem bothered, but they will get over it and stop sulking at you eventually!

[Crimson]

Has anyone got a House Cat they've had to leave in a Cattery before?

We are going on Holiday in a few weeks for 12 nights. We wanted to leave her with a family member or someone we knew well, but no one has been particularly forthcoming with helping, so we went and viewed a cattery that was recommended to us.

£12 a night, gets her own 'room' and fed as per a schedule we set and the lady who runs it seems to absolutely love cats. The cat is lovely, very affectionate and sociable in her own home with me and my partner. She can be skittish around new people and just hides if too many people come over our house. She's not great with her environment changing, so I'm a bit worried about her being affected long term by staying in a cattery she's never been to for the best part of two weeks.

We got her just before first lockdown so she never met another soul for 6 months or so and she has lived in two houses and was very sullen and withdrawn after we moved for a few months. Almost two years old.

Anyone had any experiences? She's so lovely we don't really want her to experience anything traumatic. I'm aware a lot of this sounds over the top but she's part of the family.

Definitely not over the top.

Sounds like my cat and his environment! Our cat is a bit of an introvert and is primarely used to me and my gf. He'll run off if someone rings the doorbell, but is a loveable cat when he's used to you 

Our cat is in a Cattery evey Christmas-period when we're flying to visit family. This counts for more than two weeks each time. Sometimes he's there also during Summer holidays if we're travelling somewhere.

It's great. The cat get to socialize a bit and he's always returning nicely groomed and all. Haven't noticed any issues when delivering or when returning home. Except maybe that he's gained a bit of weight as they cannot keep his diet like we do. Also, as he's very spoiled in terms of attention here at home, he is very cozy the first week after returning home.

The cattery we're using holds around 100 cats, split into two yards/houses. It's really facinating really. You'll rarely see two cats in the same place outside as they are very dominant of their area. But in the cattery you suddenly have a 100 cats together and they all realise that they are on neutral ground 

There are some prerequisites however; the cats must be neutered and recently vaccinated.

I'd check reviews online to see if anyone have experience with the place you're looking at.

[redbyrdz]

You can also get a cat sitter to come and feed and play with the cat. There's a website for that, catinaflat is one I think.

I don't know about catteries - cats are usually very territorial and taking them out of their usual environment might be stressful. It likely depends on the cat how they get on with it.

[Shanklygates]

Mine go to a cattery and once Stan is in his carrier (he hates being picked up so that bit is always hard) they are fine. The three of them share a room so they"re together (my choice)
 The owner ensures they are clean, warm,  fed, and gives them fuss regularly so they're quite happy once settled.

[I've been a good boy]

I've dropped mine off once for 7 days and he was clearly agitated and scared at first but calmed down after he started getting food and milk. Atleast you can go on holiday with a clear mind and not having to worry about your cat. Plus, the way they jump and purr when you go to collect them is a truly special feeling

[Drinks Sangria]

Thanks for all the advice. As much as I don’t want to stress her out or traumatise her, I think a cattery is the best option. My partner’s mum has 3 cats of her own who she’s unwilling to leave for two weeks to stay at our house. In the past, we’ve had nights away and taken the cat to my partner’s Dads, they basically have ummed and erred and clearly don’t want the responsibility - pretty selfish given we take care of their two dogs several times a year and house sit when asked.

Then the trusted friends who we’d be happy to have stay at our house to look after her have all been a bit crap about the situation or have things on that would prevent them from doing. My parents claim to be allergic.

Basically a lot of selfishness and short memories when it comes to us asking for a favour, so the only way forward is a cattery I think and I hope she gets on okay.

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

Thanks for all the responses to my post. Just an update:

She has been on the same brand, kind of food for a while now - the Purina Gourmet range - we rotate through the meat and fish options. Both in gravy. Dry food is the purina range for indoor cats.

We did wonder about overeating but some of these packages say it’s 3-3.5pouches per day for her weight, or 1 pouch and Xg of dry food. She would have 1-2 pouches her day and there is a bowl of dry food for her there whenever she wants - she wouldn’t finish a bowl off in a day or even a few days. We just make sure she always has some. Her weight is good and consistent, so she seems to know when to stop and that’s why we never really monitored how much she was having, just gave her whatever she wanted.

Today I threw out all of her food - wet and dry and washed her bowls out. I bought the Hills science plan food - dry bag for furballs specifically and wet food for the same issues. I have measured out 40g of the dry food and put out half a pouch of wet food for her, as she has already had 1 pouch of food this morning. I will continue to monitor her whilst waiting for vets appointment next week. Appreciate change to her diet could mean a bit of sickness or runny stools but think it’s worth trying and she is otherwise very healthy - beautiful soft coat, cleans herself, toilet habits the same, generally very content and even when she is sick she continues to eat normally. So I wonder if it is something in the food.

Hopefully I am one step ahead of the vets now as they were not concerned a few weeks ago when I took her, so suspect they could have suggested the same.

[Shanklygates]

Some people have been avoiding all Purina food for similar symptoms so hopefully this works, Good luck.

[I've been a good boy]

Some people have been avoiding all Purina food for similar symptoms so hopefully this works, Good luck.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/250384740220868/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=399514681974539

Just came across this group, decided to join it and loads of people complaining about Purina. What's up with them, are they changing the ingredients?

[I've been a good boy]

Also what's the deal with cat litter. How often do I change it and should I go for clumping or non-clumping? I first had Catsan which was great and didn't smell too bad but last week bought a cheap Wilko one and it stinks like toxic waste. Not to mention I keep finding massive clumps on the bottom where the cat has had a wee

[redbyrdz]

Also what's the deal with cat litter. How often do I change it and should I go for clumping or non-clumping? I first had Catsan which was great and didn't smell too bad but last week bought a cheap Wilko one and it stinks like toxic waste. Not to mention I keep finding massive clumps on the bottom where the cat has had a wee

I use the clay stuff from Lidl. The cat likes it, its cheap and doesn't stink. Take clumbs out and poo out 1-2 a day, change the whole litter about once a week (or earlier if the cats starts not liking it).

[Shanklygates]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/250384740220868/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=399514681974539

Just came across this group, decided to join it and loads of people complaining about Purina. What's up with them, are they changing the ingredients?

We don't know. Purina have said they haven't changed anything but the problems are too widespread for it just to be a bad batch. I am glad I changed mine's food; others lost their cats. Purina reckon nothing has changed but there are so many with matching symptoms, it just doesn't add up. Hope yours are ok.
One of mine went to the vet and had tests so it cost a bit but they have been ok since I changed their food from Felix AGAIL

[Damo58]

Our cat got attacked for the fourth time in about 5 months. Last time is was his tail which took forever to heal and now its the bottom of his back near the top of his tail. He won't let us near it and he's completely out of sorts. We've got some pain relief to put his in food that we got from last time but he's not eating.

I know it's the same cat each time. I've been out in the garden a few times and chased it off and our cat has been chased through his flap a few times. It's so frustrating, he's getting deep bites once a month, it's costing us in vets bills and there's not a great deal we can do. We don't know where this cat lives and even if we did it's not like they could stop it.

We really don't want him to be a house cat either, he loves being outside.

[Shanklygates]

Sounds like you could do with a catio so he can be out but is safe
 Poor lad. He should be able to go out. Maybe the other one is an entire male and more aggressive

[duvva 💅]

Our cat got attacked for the fourth time in about 5 months. Last time is was his tail which took forever to heal and now its the bottom of his back near the top of his tail. He won't let us near it and he's completely out of sorts. We've got some pain relief to put his in food that we got from last time but he's not eating.

I know it's the same cat each time. I've been out in the garden a few times and chased it off and our cat has been chased through his flap a few times. It's so frustrating, he's getting deep bites once a month, it's costing us in vets bills and there's not a great deal we can do. We don't know where this cat lives and even if we did it's not like they could stop it.

We really don't want him to be a house cat either, he loves being outside.

So frustrating mate, feel for you.

Is it possible the other cats a stray? Perhaps see if you can catch him and take him to the vets so they can check for a microchip? They shouldn’t charge for that. Either they find one and you can perhaps chat with the owner and see if there’s anything they can do such as only letting him out at certain times. So you can alternate when they’re out possibly. Or if he’s not got a chip take him to a shelter as a possible stray?

Probably not realistic but just trying to think of a way to protect your little fella

[Damo58]

So frustrating mate, feel for you.

Is it possible the other cats a stray? Perhaps see if you can catch him and take him to the vets so they can check for a microchip? They shouldn’t charge for that. Either they find one and you can perhaps chat with the owner and see if there’s anything they can do such as only letting him out at certain times. So you can alternate when they’re out possibly. Or if he’s not got a chip take him to a shelter as a possible stray?

Probably not realistic but just trying to think of a way to protect your little fella

Cheers, it has crossed my mind to try and grab and take it to the vet it but it darts as soon as I step out the house. Ours seems a bit better today. We locked the flap so he's had a night in and he seems a bit more himself. We managed to hold him down and look at his injuries last night and salt water clean them and he's got teeth/claw marks just above his tail but they didn't look too deep. Not like when his tail got bitten and it was nasty little but really deep holes.

It makes me sad that it's always around his back end as if he's running away!

[duvva 💅]

Cheers, it has crossed my mind to try and grab and take it to the vet it but it darts as soon as I step out the house. Ours seems a bit better today. We locked the flap so he's had a night in and he seems a bit more himself. We managed to hold him down and look at his injuries last night and salt water clean them and he's got teeth/claw marks just above his tail but they didn't look too deep. Not like when his tail got bitten and it was nasty little but really deep holes.

It makes me sad that it's always around his back end as if he's running away!

That’s what I’ve been told previously that if the cat has the cuts and wounds around their face they’re the likely aggressor so makes sense that if your poor lads are on his back end that he’s trying to escape.
Glad he seems a bit better today.
You could possibly try enticing the cat by shaking a bag of treats at him, but we’ve got a rough looking ginger cat round our way, who appears from time to time who I think is probably a stray and he’s off as soon as I open the door as well

[Shanklygates]

Cats Protection can help with strays. The guy in my area (Anfield) is really good and I managed to tray a stray last autumn. He got neutered and vacc'ed etc they rehomed via their St Helens centre so hoping he's got a warm home now somewhere. He used to look in the patio doors at mine like he was envious. I used to feel so sorry for him out in all weathers so really pleased he's not out there this winter. Probably the best thing I did last year, trapping him so he had the chance of  loving home. Hope he's happy wherever he is, and I could see when he was no longer listed meaning he'd been adopted.

But might be worth a go. What area are you in? I have mobile for this area.

[El Denzel Pepito]

Does anyone have a cat that has heart disease?

We were woken up to the sound of our cat trying to be sick this morning along with the loudest of yelps. We walked in and he was hyperventilating and dragging himself across the room with his front feet. We initially thought he had broken his leg whilst jumping off the table or something but we took him to the vets and they informed us he had a blood clot that he was trying to pass, which likely blocked blood flow to his legs. According to them, he's really really lucky to still be alive. The scans show he's got hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and will need to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life.

It's more than taken us aback as he's only 4 and always seemed pretty healthy He likes to be involved in our business but we feel like he's not going to be the same from now on. We'll be picking him up later this afternoon if all is OK, but it's a huge worry for me now. He's going to be more prone to blood clots from now on and all it takes is 1 for it to be fatal. Today was a really close shave. I work from home so he's quickly become my little best mate following me around the house, hated seeing him in the state he was in.

Is anyone else in a similar boat with their cat? How did that affect their day-to-day/quality of life? Was there anything special you had to keep in mind?

[duvva 💅]

One of our previous cats died because of this. I heard her jump off the bed about 5am and go downstairs, then I heard this banging like she was trying to open a closed door. When I got to her downstairs she was also crawling round on her front legs. She had been going through some other medical issues and was a very difficult cat to handle anyway due to suffering abuse before we got her, so due to the stress and pain she was in and the recovering that would have been needed for a cat that wouldn’t let vets near her without trying to slice them up, after rushing her to the vets we decided to have her put to sleep. She was 14.
Wasn’t the best New Years Eve ever!

Good luck with your cats recovery, it’s sounds like he’s more amenable to treatment than ours so hopefully he recovers well. I’d say his young age is a plus as well

Actually our first cat who lived til he was 17 was on daily pills for his thyroid and a heart condition for a number of years, so while I think something like this is likely to shorten their life they can still live a fairly normal life for at least a few years

[Shanklygates]

Sorry to here that EDP! Hope he continues for a long time yet. My Nellie has to have Thyronorm twice a day forever. She has her thyroid out but they can have thyroid-producing cells elsewhere so she got hyperthyroidism again. Hence her only option now is this. But I'm lucky in that it's medicine so I just squirt in it via a syringe twice a day b4 food. She'd be a nightmare with tablets! And to be fare she got used to it quickly and is a lot better than I thought she might be. I have just got back from a few days away, and the cattery were fine with giving her the medicine.

I hope you have cat insurance as the extra tests and medication mount up,but I learnt the hard way as I didn't with my first cat. Good luck. Happy to help if I can in the future. Best wishes to your furry mate

[gazzalfc]

No advice but wanted to recommend The Cat Sit company if anyone needs a sitter while you go on holiday. They were great with ours

[Lalesa]

Some people have been avoiding all Purina food for similar symptoms so hopefully this works, Good luck.

Our cat ate Purina dry food for years, but we had to switch her to wet food due to her health issues and age. Honestly, I don't know whether Purina played any role in our case. I found a list of the best wet cat food here https://www.catfoodpoint.com/best-wet-cat-food/. Now I buy Sheba food. My cat likes it.

[SvenJohansen]

Our cat Neo is 4 years old and has FIV which she got from a mofo cat from the neighbourhood a couple of years ago. She can get anxious sometimes since then but she is mostly well and trusts us. She's an indoor/outdoor cat as she learned at an early stage how to open the kitchen window. We've gotten used to letting her out when she wants to go as it's impossible keeping her in. We now leave an upstairs window open at night which she uses to get in and out.

In the last few months she's been bringing in dead birds (which are almost always the local goldfinch population) and leaving them at the bottom of the stairs for me to find in the morning. Thanks Neo for the gifts but...... Two weeks ago she did it 4 days in a row. I'm not too bothered with disposing dead birds but this last week she's bringing us mice (dead or alive). This is something I'm not so keen on as mice can scurry away behind cupboards and such.

We are at our wits end because she has also brought in shrews and these weird big beetle-like things in too. I fear that as she gets older the kills will be bigger. She's a really efficient predator. We have at times tried locking her in the kitchen but we don't want to be leaving the window open at night. She's been okay with this so far but she can meow loudly in the very early morning.

Yesterday we put a collar with a bell on her to try to warn off any future victims. The upstairs window was left open for her. We don't know if she was out or not but there's no gifts for me today. She is however really anxious and freaked out today. She's displaying a lot of the symptoms of anxiety and I'm worried about her. She didn't eat her food last night but this is not strange for her sometimes. She did scoff down a load of treats which she loves. My poor kitty cat is not herself today and it saddens me to see her like this. But we had to try something   

Is it a case of keeping the collar on her for today and a few days after? Will she get used to it? The collar is not tight on her. We tried to put a collar on her before when she was very young but she got it off within hours. I did try again while wearing biker gloves but no joy. She's not completely avoiding us today but she is hiding a lot. Her pupils are huge. She's not meowing or swiping at us and she did let my wife stroke her today. Even if we try to take it off she will probably try to scratch and bite us. Has anyone had something similar happen and if so what did you do?

[duvva 💅]

We did the same with our cat who’s also rather partial to goldfinches unfortunately. Like yours our cat seemed to be completely freaked out by the bell, we left it for a couple of days but had to take it off as he was absolutely stressed out by it.

Actually thinking back, even picking up the collar causing the bells to jangle sent him running for cover

[redbyrdz]

My cat wears a collar (no bell) when she goes out, she is ok with it now, but it took about a year to get her used to it. I put it on by the door or the window she wants out of, and don't let her out until its on. I take it off when she comes in. I took the bell of, but it still makes a little rattle noise that doesn't seem to annoy her.

Maybe you could try the collar without the bell first, and add the bell later? (Oh, and use a collar with a quick-release buckle - she will lose them, but that's better than her getting caught on something).

I keep mine in at night now, she only brings in live rats, but I wasn't keen on the 2am mouse/rat hunts I had to do...

[SvenJohansen]

Well she managed to lose the bell fairly quickly but she really didn't like the collar on at all. She wouldn't let me near her to take it off so I waited till my wife's daughter came home and she had it taken off in seconds! It was her who put it on. Neo was relieved but she really wasn't herself till late the following day. It's an experiment we won't be trying again anytime soon. Looks like disposing of kills is just something I have to endure. Saying that though, she hasn't brought one in since the collar came off. I did however find the bell, in her litter box!! 

[Sangria]

Well she managed to lose the bell fairly quickly but she really didn't like the collar on at all. She wouldn't let me near her to take it off so I waited till my wife's daughter came home and she had it taken off in seconds! It was her who put it on. Neo was relieved but she really wasn't herself till late the following day. It's an experiment we won't be trying again anytime soon. Looks like disposing of kills is just something I have to endure. Saying that though, she hasn't brought one in since the collar came off. I did however find the bell, in her litter box!! 

Are you sure it was the bell that you picked up from her box?

[Drinks Sangria]

Could do with some help advice from any long-time cat owners.

Our cat is nearly 3 - we got her as the first lockdown dawned and she was a lovey kitten. She had her quirks as cats do but generally was nicely behaved, affectionate and sociable.

Now she’s not been great with other cats, likely through being a house-cat and not being able to be around others during a year’s worth of lockdowns, but that’s not the issue.

She’s suddenly, randomly, started nasty bouts of aggression, where she’ll sprint up onto our laps when we weren’t even engaging with her and bite us and try and grip onto us.

She gets lots of attention, but we also leave her to be independent when she wants to be, she’s fed a good diet (the vet has remarked every time she’s seen that she’s perfect weight and has a lovely coat) and we play with her a lot, keeping her toys and puzzles on a rotation so she doesn’t get bored.

She does sleep a lot and likes to be on our laps, which is fine, but this strange lashing out has bemused us. We’ve had her checked for injuries or issues and the vet’s have said she’s absolutely fine and just trying to assert dominance. Why now, at almost 3 years old, when she’s essentially been the perfect cat beforehand?

It’s like a fairly sudden personality change. She’s way less affectionate (unless it’s to get fed early), more aggressive and a bit nasty with some of these biting episodes. There’s been no noticeable event that we know of that should lead to a fairly distinct personality change. Previously she would only nip a bit if over-stimulated or if we’d wound her up a bit unintentionally when playing (she used to loved belly rubs and quite firm stroking).

Even now, I’m lay in bed, she’s asleep on my lap (one of the few forms of affection she still shows) having lunged out from under the bed previously to sink her teeth and claws into my foot.

Any advice, has anyone had a previously affectionate cat do this? Is she just a twat?

[24/7]

My partner is the former head of Estonia's version of the RSPCA. I've asked her for an opinion, will get back to you tomorrow. She knows a few people with insight into feline twattishness...if she can't help, there's a black cat in the FSG thread who might have a view...

[Drinks Sangria]

Cheers mate, interested in the insight. She’s sat on my lap now while I work, good as gold, as if she didn’t try and attack me about 3 times yesterday.